The plate culture method has been conventionally used for measurement of general live bacterial counts in foodstuffs, clinical samples or environments. However, the plate culture method requires time of about two days to obtain a result.
Because of the improvements of sterilization techniques and processing techniques for foodstuffs, needs for distinguishing live and dead states of microorganisms existing in test samples are increasing even for the cases where the cells exist in an extremely small amount. In the fields of food sanitation inspection and clinical test, in particular, as a quick method for detecting bacteria, it is attempted to determine presence or absence of bacteria and quantify bacteria by amplifying genes specific to the bacteria by PCR to such an amount that the genes can be visually observed. However, if a bacterial DNA is targeted, the background originated from dead cells originally contained in the test sample is also detected, and therefore a positive result obtained by PCR does not necessarily suggest the presence of live bacteria. Therefore, the current situation in the fields of food sanitation and clinical test is that PCR is not used widely, although it is a highly sensitive and quick technique.
In these days, it is attempted to detect and quantify only live cells in a test sample by preparing cDNA with reverse transcriptase for mRNA as a target and performing PCR with primers specific to various bacteria. However, in this method, the reverse transcription of mRNA of dead cells itself is not inhibited, and when 104 cfu/ml or 104 cfu/g or more of dead cells are contained in the test sample, background originated from the dead cells is detected. Therefore, this method cannot be said to be sufficient as a method for distinguishing the live and dead states.
Specifically, as a method for distinguishing live and dead states of microorganisms such as bacteria using the PCR method, the methods described in Patent document 1 and 2 have been disclosed. However, the following problems remain in these methods for distinguishing live and dead states of microorganisms such as bacteria using the PCR method.
As for the technique disclosed in Patent document 1, examples are mentioned for distinction of dead cells contained in boiled foodstuffs subjected to high temperature long time sterilization at 100° C. for 10 to 30 minutes, and distinction of microorganisms contained in foodstuffs subjected to ethanol sterilization or formaldehyde sterilization. However, there are not foodstuffs actually subjected to such pasteurization treatments, especially the treatment of the latter type. Moreover, there are not supposed detection of only live microorganisms subjected to the currently major pasteurization method in the food industry, low temperature long time pasteurization (LILT pasteurization), high temperature short time pasteurization (HTST pasteurization), or ultra high temperature pasteurization (UHT pasteurization), and detection of only live specific pathogenic bacteria in clinical specimens of infectious disease patients administered with antibiotics. Moreover, in the case of a test sample of a foodstuff or clinical specimen containing dead cell background at a concentration of 104 cfu/ml or higher, the amounts of the final PCR amplification products derived from dead cells exceed the detection limit of the technique of Patent document 1, and therefore it is impossible to determine whether a positive response of a test sample obtained by PCR is derived from live cells or dead cells.
Further, as the technique of Patent document 2, disclosed is a method of distinguishing live cells and dead cells by utilizing relative decrease in RNA/DNA molar ratio of dead cells compared with that of live cells. In this method, the total RNA is extracted, complementary DNA is prepared by using a reverse transcription reaction, then PCR is performed to calculate the Ct value thereof, and the molar concentration of RNA is obtained by using a separately prepared calibration curve. Separately, a region of chromosomal DNA corresponding to that RNA is amplified by PCR to obtain the Ct value thereof, and the molar concentration of the chromosomal DNA is calculated on the basis of the calibration curve to obtain the RNA/DNA molar ratio. That is, the above procedure requires to perform troublesome extraction of total RNA and uses two steps of reverse transcription reaction and PCR. Therefore, this technique is inferior to usual PCR targeting DNA in quantification performance and quickness. Further, RNA is continuously produced in live cells, whereas RNA derived from dead cells is decomposed at an early stage. Therefore, the technique lacks stability. Furthermore, in a foodstuff or clinical specimen containing dead cells at a high concentration, only live cells of 1/10 of that concentration can be detected by this technique. Therefore, it is difficult to apply this technique in the fields of food sanitation inspection and clinical test, which require quickness, high sensitivity and accuracy.    Patent document 1: International Patent Application Unexamined Publication in Japan No. 2000-530118    Patent document 2: International Patent Publication WO2002/052034 pamphlet